Bookniture Slides Off the Shelf and Opens Into Tables & Stools

By S.A. Rogers

They look like ordinary books on the shelf, some as small and light as Moleskine notebooks, yet these volumes contain something you’d never expect: surprisingly strong tables and stools that can support up to 375 pounds. Bookniture is a collection of folding furniture that’s incredibly easy to store and transport, and all it takes to set it up is a flick of the wrist.

Each piece includes a honeycomb-like cardboard structure between two hard covers. Slide off the rubber band closure, pull the covers back, secure them and you’ve got a piece of compact furniture that functions as a stool, foot rest, night stand or side table. You can also stack multiple books to create taller tables.

The Bookniture series combines advanced honeycomb paper structures with the traditional craft of book-binding. They’re made in a factory that specializes in the assembly of traditional books using a USA-made kraft paper that can withstand more than 100 times its own weight and expand 14 times its original volume.

The maximum dimension of the largest book is just 14 inches, and the materials are fully recyclable. The Bookniture project exceeded its fundraising goal on Kickstarter and will go into production in Spring 2015.